Peninsula: I'm the Top Streamer

Chapter 540 There's really nothing to say.

Inside the meeting room, everyone remained seated and continued their conversation.

"After coordinating everyone's schedules, we will begin filming. The estimated filming time is about three to five months."

"Filming should be completed before the middle of the year, but post-production and release may have to wait until next year."

The producer here gave an approximate timeframe for the project, allowing the main creators present to understand the approximate time required for the project.

At this moment, Kwon Hyun-hyuk first nodded in agreement, then said, "Do we need to wait for Netflix's schedule?"

"Yes, conservatively speaking, filming will be completed around April or May, post-production will take about a month, then scheduling and promotion, so the chances of it being released next year are probably not very high."

The producer said this.

"First of all, I think that if movies can be released more efficiently and as early as possible, it is not a bad thing."

"Moreover, due to the implementation of the new labor law, the filming time will inevitably be extended."

"So, regarding the scheduling, I will try to communicate with Netflix to see if we can adjust the release date to within the year as much as possible."

Netflix made a strong comeback in 2022, further increasing its investment in Korean content after the phenomenal success of "The Squid Game" in 2021.

According to statistics, Netflix invested as much as $500 million in South Korea in 2022, producing nearly 30 film and television projects. If variety shows and documentaries are also included, the number of projects has reached 40.

This scale is comparable to the annual production of TV dramas by the three major television stations, and Netflix invests heavily, with its average investment exceeding that of domestic capital.

Netflix holds a 63.6% user reach in the South Korean OTT market, far exceeding local platforms such as Coupang Play and Tving.

Top screenwriters, directors, and actors are prioritizing collaborations with Netflix, while traditional television stations are facing financial crises due to declining advertising revenue, resulting in a sharp reduction in production. The three major networks saw a 7.4% year-on-year decrease in drama series output in 2022.

With Netflix having so many projects in the pipeline, the scheduling is crucial. With dozens of projects, there are many factors involved in deciding which will air first and which will be postponed.

Kwon Heonhyuk, who had already established a good relationship with Netflix before the pandemic, now has more influence, and his pioneering work has now yielded results.

When everyone heard Kwon Hyun-hyuk's arrogant tone, claiming that he had the ability to speak for Netflix, they all turned to look at him with surprise and astonishment.

Under everyone's gaze, Quan Xuanhe nodded with a straight face.

Seeing his confidence, the group looked at each other with some doubt before nodding hesitantly.

Subsequently, one or two people began to understand.

Quan Xuanhe doesn't seem like the type to make outrageous statements. He dares to become a producer and say such things, so he must really have some authority.
This is not a bad thing for them; on the contrary, it's a great thing.

The increasingly unstable production schedules and later release dates are definitely not a good thing for the actors.

"During the DP project, we coordinated the schedule, and finally, the filming was completed and it was released on Netflix two months later."

Seeing the uncertain looks on the other people's faces, Quan Xuanhe brought up his past deeds.

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on, and then they clapped and cheered.

The production crew really did have a righteous and upright official on board.

Quan Xuanhe was originally the absolute core of the crew, but his performance today left everyone speechless, clearly demonstrating his current power.

"Oppa is amazing."

Kim Yoo-jung smiled sweetly at him, her eyes filled with admiration and an indescribable sparkle, making no attempt to hide it.

"This...this is what everyone in our crew should do."

Quan Xuanhe looked at her with a hearty smile.

His performance today truly demonstrated his ability, even subtly surpassing that of the director.

"The director needs to work hard to ensure the film is released as soon as possible and to improve the efficiency of filming."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk still flattered the director, giving her face.

After a period of discussion in the conference room, it was almost time for everyone to leave work.

"Let's take a group photo together to verify our identity."

The producer then made a suggestion.

After the photo is verified and uploaded to the official media account, it will give fans who are following this project a heads-up and boost their enthusiasm.

"it is good."

Kim Yoo-jung smiled and readily agreed, then looked up at Kwon Hyun-hyuk, seeking his opinion.

"no problem."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk casually handed the script to Kim Yoo-jung, telling her to take a picture with the script so that people who see the photo can recognize it at a glance.

The group stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room.

Despite it being deep winter, today the sun shines brightly, a rare sight. The warm yellow sunlight shines in obliquely, as if gilding everyone with a layer of gold, making their skin appear fair and radiant.

“Yu-jung, stand in the middle.”

"You main actors just need to appear on screen, we won't."

The director and producer waved to each other, and the crew members moved out of the spotlight.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk and Kim Yoo-jung stood in the middle, while the remaining second male and female leads stood on either side.

Kim Yoo-jung moved slightly closer to him, their bodies making subtle contact. He felt her elastic and soft touch, and her fragrance reached his nose.

Every woman has her own unique fragrance.

Kim Yoo-jung held up the script in front of the camera, tilted her head slightly, and a bright, sunny smile bloomed on her face, radiating energy.

Standing next to Kwon Heon-hyuk, they looked like a very well-matched couple.

He seems to be a good match for anyone.

After the meeting ended, Kim Yoo-jung suggested that they go out for a meal together.

"Oppa, do you have time? Do you want to go out for dinner together?"

Kim Yoo-jung looked at him, a smile spreading across her face, and tentatively extended an invitation. "We're going to be filming together soon, how about we have dinner together beforehand to get to know each other?"

She said it easily.

"it is good."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk looked at Kim Yoo-jung and nodded in agreement.

The scene changes.

The scene suddenly shifted to a barbecue restaurant. In the afternoon, there were only a few people in the restaurant, with just a handful of tables.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk, Kim Yoo-jung, and the rest of the crew arrived at the store in a large group.

After everyone took their seats, Kim Yoo-jung sat next to Kwon Hyun-hyuk, tied her hair up, took off her coat and wore a loose sweatshirt. Her light makeup made her look fresh and natural, making her look like a college student.

Given her age, which is exactly the age of a college student, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a female college student.

The staff busied themselves serving the food, and the atmosphere in the meeting room, which had been somewhat serious, became more relaxed, with everyone chatting and laughing together.

"Is oppa resting now? I saw in the news that he just finished filming a drama."

Kim Yoo-jung smiled and asked him, taking the initiative to start the conversation.

"You're resting? Then what am I doing out today?"

Quan Xuanhe raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Kim Yoo-jung smiled and said, "It seems that oppa has no time to rest at all. He must be working really hard."

"And you, didn't 'Red Heavenly Secret' just finish airing not long ago?"

Upon hearing him mention "Red Secret," Kim Yoo-jung's smile inexplicably froze for a moment, but she quickly masked it and smiled naturally again. Kim Yoo-jung starred in "Red Secret" alongside Ahn Hyo-seop, and her subtle reaction just now clearly indicated that she was aware of the rift between him and Ahn Hyo-seop.

As the middleman, Kim Yoo-jung obviously couldn't mention Ahn Hyo-seop too much in front of him, since they were actors she had worked with.

"Since the show has finished airing, there's nothing much going on lately."

Kim Yoo-jung smiled and brushed it off, not going into too much detail about her project.

"Oh~ That's it."

"I saw in the news that you and Ahn Hyo-seop were nominated as the best couple."

"We have a good chance of winning an award."

Quan Xuanhe said with a smile.

Kim Yoo-jung's smile became somewhat awkward; she didn't know how to respond.

"Why did things suddenly become awkward? Is there something you can't say? Do you know about the conflict between him and me?"

Kim Yoo-jung stuck out her tongue, smiled sheepishly, and then immediately changed her tone, "I know, but isn't it impolite to bring it up in front of oppa?"

Upon hearing this, Quan Xuanhe nodded. "That's true."

"However, I support oppa unconditionally."

Kim Yoo-jung blinked, gazing at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Is it because you're working with me now?"

"Eh~"

"Alright, that's enough. After all, you're still my senior."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk smiled, waved his hand, and said no more.

Kim Yoo-jung breathed a sigh of relief, almost labeling Kwon Heon-hyuk as aggressive in her mind.

"Eat your meal, oppa, eat meat."

Kim Yoo-jung took the initiative to pick up her chopsticks, placed a piece of grilled meat on the plate in front of him, and smiled at him.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk raised his glass of soju and looked at everyone.

I'll raise a glass!
Gatherings have always been Kwon Hyun-hyuk's domain; otherwise, how could he have mingled with that group of old-timers in Chungmuro?

"In short, everything went smoothly, and '20th Century Girl' is a huge success!"

After Quan Xuanhe finished speaking, he emptied his wine glass instantly without any hesitation.

One cup of wine won a round of applause and cheers, raising the atmosphere to a whole new level and making it even more lively.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The dinner is over.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk's face was flushed from drinking, but he was still sober. He smiled and said goodbye to one film crew member after another.

"Goodbye, oppa. See you at the next script reading."

Kim Yoo-jung hadn't drunk much, but her face was slightly flushed. She gave him a big smile, waved, and was very enthusiastic.

"Bye-Bye."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk smiled and nodded, then watched Kim Yoo-jung disappear from sight.

He got into the van, gradually breathed a sigh of relief, and checked his phone to see what had happened recently.

"Snow Drop Flower"

The series premiered last week, and with its premiere came the biggest backlash.

After the drama premiered, South Korean netizens launched a petition to the Blue House to stop the broadcast, citing "distortion of history" and "glorification of the Ministry of National Defense." The petition garnered over 30 signatures. Although the court rejected the petition on the grounds of "creative freedom," the production company JTBC's actions, such as closing the message board and switching to a private discussion platform, further exacerbated the conflict.

More than 20 advertisers, including Teazen and Heung Il furniture, withdrew their investments, causing the production company's stock price to evaporate by approximately 900 billion Korean won, or about 5 million RMB.

The premiere episode only garnered a 2%-3% viewership rating, far lower than other dramas airing at the same time. However, after JTBC adopted a strategy of airing three episodes consecutively, the ratings slightly rebounded to around 3%, but it was still to no avail. It was unclear who among the viewers could be considered genuine viewers.

This is the reaction in South Korea, but it hasn't stopped overseas either.

International communities such as Reddit have been embroiled in heated debates surrounding the "glorification of history," with some Western viewers criticizing its narrative tendencies as "similar to the romanticization of Nazism."

Without Kim Jisoo's appearance in this film, it didn't garner much fan attention, and without its high popularity overseas, it essentially flopped without making a splash.

Jung Hae-in, the lead actor, is filled with regret. No one expected that the drama "Snowdrop" would turn out so dismal and dark after its release.

With such a strong cast and production team, Jung Hae-in was prepared to treat this drama as a huge hit when he took it on.

Who would have thought...

Faced with this situation, Jung Hae-in couldn't sit still. As the lead actor, if the drama failed, it would undoubtedly be a fatal blow to his career, and his resources would drop significantly.

Without any support from his public image, Ding Haiyin's career is already on a downward spiral.

At this point, Jung Hae-in began to speak out in response to the controversy, addressing the issues through the media.

"The answer to history lies in the script."

This counterintuitive response only fueled the public outcry.

Even before Kwon Hyun-hyuk intervened, enthusiastic netizens had already begun criticizing Jung Hae-in.

Is there any historical reflection?

"Is it acceptable to admit historical fiction in order to make the TV series successful?"

"Oh my god, if you like it so much, you might as well die with us."

Although Jung Hae-in's original statement was controversial, he still had a solid foundation and could get away with it by pretending to be dead, especially since his partner Kim Ji-soo was taking the brunt of the criticism.

Now, whenever he makes these controversial remarks, it's like a powder keg ignited, and an overwhelming rage is directed at him.

At that moment, Quan Xuanhe made a move.

He had said that none of the people targeting him were clean, and some of them would reveal their weaknesses on their own without him having to do much to trip them up.

Quan Xuanhe, of course, went with the flow and released all his dirty secrets at once.

[Jung Hae-in, who frequents clubs and appears innocent, is actually a seasoned club-goer.]

[Having once dominated the center stage at award ceremonies, are they now acting as if nothing happened?]

[Acting in historically entertaining dramas, yet actually an entertainment professional lacking in cultural refinement, Jung Hae-in?!]

YG's marketing prowess remains as strong as ever. This time, they mobilized to release press releases, mixing truth with falsehood, which further plummeted his already declining reputation.

Jung Hae-in found himself in a predicament, with "Snowdrop" causing his domestic public opinion to plummet and receiving lukewarm responses overseas.

The internet is abuzz with controversy and arguments. "Snowdrop" has become the most controversial topic of discussion this year, so much so that it involves fundamental issues of right and wrong, and anyone who touches it will get tainted.

And she is Kim Jisoo.

He could very well have been one of those involved in this highly controversial incident.

It was also because of him that Kim Ji-soo 'missed' this drama, avoided falling into this predicament, and preserved herself. On the contrary, her career is now booming because of her collaboration with him.

Under these circumstances, it's difficult for Kim Ji-soo to remain uncomplicated and to have no other thoughts about Kwon Heon-hyuk.

Logically and emotionally, Quan Xuanhe seems to have a lot to do with her…

There's really nothing more to say.

(End of this chapter)